clinch
/klɪnt͡ʃ/verb, noun
clinch is spelled C-L-I-N-C-H: 6 letters and one syllable. It appears 1.9 times per million words in written English, the 19,825th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). People search “clench vs clinch” about 390 times a month (Google, United States). As a verb, clinch means “To bend and hammer the point of (a nail) so it cannot be removed” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in clinch?
| Letters | 6: C-L-I-N-C-H |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.9 times per million words; the 19,825th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Pairs people search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026).
How common is clinch?
Clinch appears 1.9 times per million words in written English, the 19,825th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce clinch?
- /klɪnt͡ʃ/
Clinch has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-clinch.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with clinch
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Also written: clench.
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of clinch
- clinches present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- clinching participle, present
- clinched participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does clinch mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To bend and hammer the point of (a nail) so it cannot be removed.
- 2
To clasp; to interlock.
- 3
To fasten securely or permanently.
- 4
To make certain; to finalize.
I already planned to buy the car, but the color was what really clinched it for me.
- 5
To hold firmly; to clench
- 6
To set closely together; to close tightly.
to clinch the teeth or the fist
- 7
To hold a boxing opponent with one or both arms so as to avoid being hit while resting momentarily
- 8
To secure a spot (e.g., at the divisional championship) before the end of regular season play by having an insurmountable lead.
noun
- 1
Any of several fastenings.
- 2
The act of bending and hammering the point of a nail so it cannot be removed.
- 3
The act or process of holding fast; that which serves to hold fast.
to get a good clinch of an antagonist, or of a weapon
- 4
obsoleteA pun.
- 5
A hitch or bend by which a rope is made fast to the ring of an anchor, or the breeching of a ship's gun to the ringbolts.
- 6
A passionate embrace.
- 7
The act of one or both fighters holding onto the other to prevent being hit or engage in standup grappling.
- 8
archaicslangA prison sentence.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Clinch in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | agrafer , remporter, boucler , attache, fixation , clinch |
| German | Clinch |
| Portuguese | clinche, clinch |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does clinch come from?
16th-century alteration of clench.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).